C

Circle Time

When children come from outdoor free-play, they are usually energetic and excited. They need to be helped to move from such a highly active state to a quieter activity. So, some transition activities are needed to cool them down and get them into the listening and responding mode.Circle time is an activity during which the educator and the children sit around in a circle and share a conversation, discuss a topic brought up by children or learn a concept. This enables the educator to involve every child actively. The communication is among the members in the circle and not just from educator to children. It also gives every child an opportunity of being an individual while being a part of the larger group.

F

FMS

Fine Motor SkillsPre Schoolers benefit from experiences that support the development of fine motor skills in the hands and fingers. Children should have strength and dexterity in their hands and fingers before being asked to manipulate a pencil on paper. Working on dexterity and strength first can eliminate the development of an inappropriate pencil grasp, which is becoming more commonplace as young children are engaged in writing experiences before their hands are ready. The following activities involve the use of manipulatives which will support young children's fine motor development, and will help to build the strength and dexterity necessary to hold a pencil appropriately.Fine Motor Activities

Moulding and rolling plasticine clay into balls - using the palms of the hands facing each other and with fingers curled slightly towards the palm.

Rolling plasticine clay into tiny balls using only the finger tips.

Using pegs or toothpicks to make designs in plasticine clay.

Cutting plasticine clay with a plastic knife or with a pizza wheel.

Tearing newspaper into strips and then crumpling them into balls. Use it for any art creation.

Crumpling up a sheet of newspaper in one hand.

Using a plant sprayer to spray plants, (indoors, outdoors)

Picking up objects using tweezers or tongs such as those used while roasting roti. This can be adapted by picking up bead, small cubes.

Shaking dice by cupping the hands together, forming an empty air space between the palms.

Using small-sized screwdrivers like those found in a ‘mechanix’ set.

Lacing and sewing activities such as stringing beads.

Using eye droppers to "pick up" coloured water for colour mixing or to make artistic designs on paper.

Rolling small balls out of tissue paper and then gluing the balls onto a chart paper to form pictures or designs.

Turning over cards, coins, checkers, or buttons, without bringing them to the edge of the table.

Making pictures using stickers or self-sticking paper reinforcements.

Playing games with finger puppets -the thumb, index, and middle fingers.

During circle time have each child's finger puppets tell about what happened over the weekend, or use them in songs and finger plays.

Fortnight

In order to impart the curriculum smoothly the whole academic year is divided into fortnights. There are around 18 working fortnights in an academic year. An academic year is divided into two terms. Therefore, there will be nine fortnights in the first term and nine fortnights in the second term.

Freeplay

Every morning, after keeping their bags and water bottles in the class children go for outdoor free-play. They may play for about 20 minutes. Children are full of energy when they come to school every morning. They are eager to share their experiences and observations of the previous day. The outdoor free-play facilitates physical development, interaction with peers, helps to sustain curiosity, and initiate and foster discovery.

G

Gyankumbh

Gyankumbh is annual day celebrated at Gyankriti. Children peform many pre-prepared cultural activities on the day. Parents are also invited to witness the event.

Keyword(s):

I

ICT (Information and Communication Technology)

ICT stands for Information and Communication Technology. At Gyankriti Junior KG onwards children are exposed to ICT. They are used to playing educational games and learning softwares on our EduUbuntu systems. Edubuntu is a linux based operating system designed for use in classrooms inside schools, homes and communities. Included with Edubuntu are many applications relevant to education including GCompris, KDE Edutainment Suite, LibreOffice, etc. GCompris is a software suite comprising educational entertainment software for children aged 2 to 10.

Keyword(s):

J

Junior School (JS)

Grade 1 to Grade 4 are part of Junior School section.

P

Pitara

Gyankriti Pitara is a handout which contains an overview of activities and topics which are being taught in next fortnight / month. Parents can access Pitara through their Moodle log-in.

Plant

Name of KG-1 or Junior KG standard

PLS

Practical Life SkillsPre Schools should emphasize on hands on experiences to enable a child to learn and adapt to the environment. Exercises of practical life provide a range of activities which allow the children to develop:

Control and co-ordination of movement

Awareness of their environment

Orderly thought patterns

Independent work habits

Responsibility

Characteristics which can be attained by spontaneous, purposeful work.